In recognition of the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday, Amgen has joined forces with the National Osteoporosis Foundation of South African to educate women and their loved ones about the serious risks of untreated osteoporosis, and to encourage them to get screened to determine if they are at risk of having the disease and suffering an osteoporosis-related fracture.
The free screenings will be hosted at the Sandton City Edgars Upper-Level Court on 5 May and people of all ages and gender are welcome to attend.
“Every mom’s bone health counts– in fact, everyone’s bone health counts,” says Dr Vuyelwa Ndungane-Tlakula, Amgen South Africa Medical Director… “For this reason, Amgen aims to set an official world record for the most osteoporosis screenings for an osteoporosis campaign in 24 hours, with a goal of conducting osteoporosis screening tests on at least 3000 people in 10 countries around the world.”
Amgen is partnering with Guinness World Records, the global authority on record-setting, to set an official record for most osteoporosis screenings in a 24-hour period, as part of a health education campaign.
Osteoporosis – the Silent Disease
Throughout a woman’s life, estrogen plays an important role in replacing the older porous bone with newer dense bone. However, during menopause, her body starts to produce less estrogen. Over time this can lead to osteoporosis—a medical condition that weakens your bones and makes them more likely to break.
“Even when you’re feeling great on the outside, your bones could be telling a different story on the inside,” said Tereza Hough, CEO of the National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa (NOFSA), “If ignored, osteoporosis can jeopardize your ability to do things you love and get around on your own, particularly when bone breaks occur in critical parts of the body, including the hip, pelvis and spine.”
For more information, visit www.amgen.com and www.osteoporosis.org.za
